Why Polls Still Show Democrats With Higher Marks Than Republicans

Political brands are important. If a candidate or political party has a damaged political brand, it’s harder for them to sell themselves to voters. But sometimes a poll’s top lines can be deceiving, so you need to look a little below the surface to understand what is going on.

Everyone knows that the Republican Party’s brand stinks, and while the Democratic brand is still mediocre, it’s measurably better than the GOP’s.

A Feb. 19-23 CBS News/New York Times poll found that only 33 percent of respondents had a favorable view of the Republican Party, while a stunning 61 percent had an unfavorable view. In contrast, 42 percent of respondents had a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while only 53 percent had an unfavorable view.

So the Democratic brand was about 10 points better than the GOP’s in the CBS News/New York Times survey.

That conclusion should feed the Democratic argument that while voters have problems with President Barack Obama, they have even more problems with the Republican Party going into the midterm elections. Voters who don’t like the GOP are an obvious target for Democratic strategists.

Some of that is true, of course, but if you get into the weeds on that question, something potentially important emerges. When the CBS News/New York Times poll pulled out the results by party, it found that independent voters had almost identical feelings about both parties.

I didn’t expect this from the top-line numbers. In fact, I assumed most of the Democratic brand advantage stemmed from the GOP’s terrible reputation among independents.

But the survey showed that while 31 percent of independents had a favorable view of the GOP, 30 percent had a favorable view of the Democratic Party. And while 60 percent of independents had an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, 61 percent had an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party.

How could independents have the same view of the two parties and yet the Republican brand be about 10 points worse among all respondents?

The answer is clear in the data: Republican respondents had a much more negative view of their own party than Democrats had of their party.

A stunning 29 percent of Republicans had an unfavorable view of the GOP, while only 14 percent of Democrats had an unfavorable view of their party. Only 67 percent of Republicans had a favorable view of the GOP, while 85 percent of Democrats had a favorable view of the Democratic Party.

This result isn’t entirely surprising, considering the high-profile nature of the fight inside the Republican Party and the coverage of the government shutdown in October.

Tea party and libertarian conservatives think the GOP is Speaker John A. Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and what they call “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) Republicans — whom they see as a bunch of squishes who sell out to Democrats all too quickly.

On the other hand, the GOP’s business/establishment wing thinks the party has been taken over by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia and a bunch of crackpots who are driving the party into the ground.

Because of this, a substantial chunk of Republicans have an unfavorable view of their own party.

Democrats have some internal disagreements, but the divisions — at least right now — are not terribly wide or deep. Most Democrats are comfortable with the president’s agenda.

Unfortunately for Democrats, from a strategic point of view, Republicans’ battered image of their own party isn’t likely going to be a serious problem for the GOP in the fall elections. That’s because, when the midterms roll around in November, Republican voters will vote for Republican nominees, and Democrats will vote for Democratic nominees. That’s what almost always happens.

In 2012, according to the national exit poll, 92 percent of Democrats vote for Obama, while only 7 percent voted for GOP nominee Mitt Romney. But only 7 percent of Republicans voted for Obama, while 93 percent preferred Romney.

Four years earlier, Democrats went 89 percent to 10 percent for Obama, while Republicans went for the GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain, over Obama by 90 percent to 9 percent.

In the 2010 midterms, a landslide for the GOP, there were relatively few base defections. An overwhelming 94 percent of Republicans voted for Republican House candidates, while only 5 percent voted for Democratic House candidates. Among Democratic voters, 91 percent voted for Democratic House candidates, while only 7 percent vote for GOP House candidates.

Of course each party’s base vote is crucial, and if one party’s base turns out and the other party’s does not, the election would be one-sided and overwhelming. But that probably isn’t likely to happen in this highly charged, highly polarized political environment.

So, the impressions and vote intentions of “independents” are important, and the fact that independents don’t have a more negative view of the GOP than of the Democratic Party — at least in the most recent CBS News/New York Times survey — is worth noting and is potentially significant.

Democrats poll better than they deserve because the Media, like Roll Call, are all to willing to help Democrats lie.

Wellstone

Waaahh!!! Wipe your tears, small victim…

ShadrachSmith

Any thoughts about Obamacare :-)

Bobby Jackson

I liked it better when it was called Romneycare :-) The entire Republicans argument against the ACA is an AD Hominem (ad hominem (æd ˈhɒmɪˌnɛm) —adj, —adv: 1. directed against a person rather than against his arguments.

ShadrachSmith

My argument against Obamacare is that it sucks.

John D

Wise up, dummy. The “ACA” as you prefer to call it, is a train wreck. Even Dems are admitting that.
And it is not ad hominem. Most people would still dislike it regardless of who was sponsoring it. Your patronizing attitude doesn’t help your argument. We know what the term means. But apparently you had to look it up.

John D

Do you have anything meaningful to say or are you just another ignorant troll?

Palindrome

open your mouth! Good how does that Obama crap taste?

MrBeale

Yep. The polls are wrong. We all saw how that argument worked in 2012…

P_Ang

We also have seen the effects mass Democratic-led vote falsification has had. It would be amazing if Democrats even get elected when voters are required to have proof of identification.

MrBeale

Yep. Romney lost by 5 million votes because of voter fraud. Just keep telling yourself that. I’m sure that claim will be vindicated some day….

[/sarcasm]

Franklin Crittenden

The reasons the polls might favor the Dems is because Conservatives do not have time to answer the phone because WE ARE BUSY WORKING TO SUPPORT THE MAJORITY OF THE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS AND RAISING OUR CHILDREN! We are not sitting at home with our kids in Day Care watching the mail box and waiting for the phone to ring…

Ryan

Democrats DO enjoy a membership advantage nationally, which should be noted, either as a contributing factor or as something whose relevance should be thrown out.

jeremyjanson

If you estimated things by party membership, Washington State would be predicted Republican and Kentucky would be predicted Democrat. There were always be a large population of self-righteous, sophomoric Independent poseurs who get a kick out of claiming to be non-partisan while they vote for the same party every year. That throws your measurement off. These include both a lot of libertarian Republicans in places like Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee and a lot of big city artsy fartsy Democrats in places like Seattle and San Francisco, which is why Kentucky looks like it should be a blue state and Washington looks like it should be a red state based upon that measure – the cowboys in Eastern Washington and union coal miners in Butcher Hollow are more than happy to tell you exactly what they are.

Lance Sjogren

How could Washington state be predicted Republican? I live in WA and we do not have party registration here. Which suits me fine because I believe both political parties stink to high heaven.

enviro

But this is a midterm. So I am not so sure it is true that the base will come out regardless of whether they are enthusiastic about their party. It’s more the issue that as seen in 2012, even if Dems get more votes, they can fail to gain seats because of gerrymandering.

jeremyjanson

Very easy solution to that problem: have a big high-profile primary fight. ALL sides will get so involved fighting it out that it will be a no-brainer showing up at the General to vote for the lesser of two evils.

Lillith70

Then the base stay at homes should blame themselves for any losses.

Steve D’Agostino

That’s true – just like the Dems were able to do for decades. But that’s beside the point. Point is, Democrats tend to be lazy (as voters) and don’t go out to the midterms as much. Of course, that tends to be the trend for the party in power overall, too, but even moreso when it’s the Dems in power.

3billy123

Rothenberg is just another libtard.

bigfoot9p6

What, precisely, was the thought process that led you to believe that you were making a valuable, insightful comment when you typed this?

Virginian

Let him go. Just makes conservatives look more bigoted then they already are, this time against people with special needs.

3billy123

I’m perspicacious.
What’s you’re story.

SNAKESRULE

CB/NYT……the very bastions of truth /s. The tsunami builds.

jeremyjanson

Republicans – the new self-hating Jews!

andrewp111

This is true: “Of course each party’s base vote is crucial, and if one party’s base
turns out and the other party’s does not, the election would be
one-sided and overwhelming. But that probably isn’t likely to happen in
this highly charged, highly polarized political environment.” The GOP base will turn out in 2014. For sure. The question is, can Democrats change the game and get key segments of their base to turn out at Presidential levels? I think they can, and that is why the GOP has no business being complacent. In fact, it should be pretty easy to do. Al the Democrats have to do is run a massive national campaign 1 month before the election to equate a GOP takeover of the Senate with impeachment of Obama in the minds of Black voters. Blacks are so emotionally invested in Obama that this is guaranteed to supercharge Black turnout to 2012 or 2008 levels.

EM10

Democrats had a negative view of their party when they lost election after election. Republicans have a similar opinion now of their party’s inability to get their act together and actually win at the Presidential level.
And of course almost no one is happy with Congress, for different reasons.
Overall the electorate is not in a cheery mood, and that will not help incumbents, especially Democrats in 2014.
So Rothenberg is right–these numbers don’t mean much, and independents are just that, fair game for either party.
2016 is wide open.
If the Republicans nominate a strong candidate who beats Hillary, guess how much better they’ll feel about their party?

Lillith70

It shouldn’t be about one person but about common ideas, values and issues.

MR_22

Inability to win Presidential level? It’s been two terms. The Presidency always swaps back and forth. What about the two terms when Bush was Preisident and the Dems couldn’t win at the Presidential level. What about when Reagan was President? That’s a stupid comment, plain and simple.

@NotRizzo

The new GOP mantra, we might not like Us, but we sure as hell hate THEM!

Mike Bennet

These numbers would be completely different if the vast majority of the entertainment and “news” media didn’t spend 24/7 inundating the public with the idea that only one side of the aisles ideas are cool and acceptable.

Lillith70

And hadn’t done it for years. Boycott them and start reading books again or renting old movies. Get up a rating system for how liberal ideas and conservative ideals are portrayed. When did they begin to divide to such an extent as we have today?

We have watched the affect of the gays at A&E trying to mute and manage the Robnsons. A furor that threatened pocket books reined in the activist liberals. LOL 5 times over!!!

Wellstone

FOX News is the most-watched News channel. The WSJ, a Rupert Murdoch right-wing rag now, is the largest print daily. Every Sunday News program is 3 to 1 GOP Conservative. They send correspondents to C-PAC. When are you going to stop whining no one understands your message?

brickman

Fox News has a fraction of what CBS, NBC and ABC gather as an audience. For most Americans one news program is enough.

Rich-3

3-1 conservative on Sunday News? You hitting the weed in CO there buddy?

Low-info president

well-stoned

Gary Birch

LMAO. Liberals own all of the media but Fox and they STILL cry like babies about it

Lance Sjogren

It is always a tough call for the public to decide which political party deserves an F and which deserves an F-. Apparently the public believes the Democrats deserve the F.

manapp99

Judging by independents alone it is the Democrats with the F-. Barely.

manapp99

So Democrats are more partisan and walk in tighter lockstep than Republicans. Not a big surprise there.

Wellstone

You not only cannot read, you’re bad with numbers, too?

maximumyes

It’s really easy to goosestep when you believe in totalitarianism.

Morphy Smith

most polls have more libs as respondents and also shows the sheep mentality of libs. always tow the Party line.

Republicans=Personally responsible for the mess we’re in and for sabotaging efforts to resolve it.

Enzyte Bob

Dhims own health care and we aren’t helping you fix it.

CenterAmerica

My god what a wonderfully succinct summation of GOP philosophy: complain, blame the other side, and refuse to do a goddamned thing about it.

Oh, let’s not forget that the health plan was created by the GOP in 1994, promoted by the GOP in the almost two decades since then, enacted into law by a GOP governor, who was then nominated by the GOP to be the GOP presidential nominee.

Yeah, but now it’s all the “other side’s” (who ever that is, the young, the poor, blacks, women, liberals, academics, minorities, etc) problem.

Enzyte Bob

You crammed ZeroCare down the nation’s throats, You crammed it down Republican throats. You live with the ramifications while we chortle at your election losses.

Enzyte Bob

LOL – Why do you leftists always LIE about everything?

1. No this health plan was not “created by the GOP”. The Heritage Foundation once proposed the individual mandate and it was summarily rejected. Neither ZeroCare nor anything even close to what ended up being ZeroCare was ever proposed.

2. So just because a RINO from Massachusetts comes up with some lamebrained health plan this means the entire Republican party has to stand by it? LOL

3. Your big problem is that you couldn’t pass out a freebie this time. You forced people to actually see how much your redistribution plans are costing them and they said NO THANKS.

4. The suhlut Sandra Fluke can buy her own damn birth control.

5. Why are Dhims such leeches?

John D

Actually the Dem controlled state legislature passed the bill. Romney signed it because it had overwhelming legislative support.

Warren Dew

The Republicans are happy to do the right thing about Obamacare: repeal it in entirety, or failing that, defund it in entirety.

Common_Sense_Post

Don’t break it in the first place. Duh! Despite the clearest of warnings, you couldn’t help yourself. Now you blame us!?

Reid will not let a single Republican idea even come to a vote in the Senate. How do you suggest we “fix” it then? Vote yes for another of your lame-brained ideas!?

John D

You are an idiot. A mild version of It was proposed initially by the Heritage foundation, but was rejected by the Republican Party
You are welcome to your own opinion, but not your own version of the facts.

Uncle Rufus

Hey Einstein, the Dems controlled the WH and entire Congress during 0weblamo’s first term and still control the WH and Senate. Apparently you don’t read much.

maximumyes

With filibuster-proof majorities, no less. This is such a convenient fact for Obamabots to forget.

Had the Dems stood united they could have passed a law criminalizing conservatism, and the Republicans would have been helpless to stop them.

Bobby Jackson

When the Dems controlled the house, they saved the U.S. economy, what have the Republican Congress accomplished since they got in office besides shutting down the government.

MR_22

Haha, Demoncrat-controlled house saved the U.S. economy? What the hell are you talking about? About all they did was pass Obamacare. Obama and the Demoncrats owns the Presidency and both houses and what did they do with it? Squandered the whole two years.

Bobby Jackson

Lets see what was the state of the economy when Obama and the Dems took office and what was the state of the economy 4 years later. Its pretty simple, Republicans destroyed the economy, Obama and the Dems saved it. Selective memory loss is covered under Obamacare.

dr61258

Amnesia, Pal ? Since 2006 the dems have had the majority. The economy tanked in 2008, almost 2 years AFTER they became majority. Now WHO tanked the economy ?

Adam Smith

The GOP did. The housing market peaked in 2006. It took two years for the defaults to pile up. After reading the comments here, most of you have no freaking clue. The Dems did not have filibuster proof majorities for Obama’s first term either. All of this is public record. Stop being the party of stupid.

Andres Bacalao

That’s not a nice way to refer to Obama. It’s his party and he can cry if he wants to. You would cry too, if Putin did it to you!

Anthony Clifton

“Crimea river!”

dr61258

The party of stupid is supporting a president with a failed 800 billion dollar stimulus plan, took billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out an auto industry of his union buddies,record long term unemployment,record recipients of disability pay,record numbers of people on food stamps,a colossal healthcare bill failure,etc ,all the while having the MAJORITY. Cry me a river. Now ,who is the party of stupid ???????????

Rob Holman

Yeah! What morons would back a a guy who presided over terrible attacks at our embassies abroad, who raised taxes and bailed out bankers! Your guy spent billions on a big-government boondoggle and racked up a huge deficit, and you guys…just…wait– Sorry, my bad. I just realized, I’m describing Ronald Regan.

LOTHAR BAIER

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111th_United_States_Congress
look it up adam !!!
Democrats had a 60 seats SUPERMAJORITY in the senate in late 2009 and 59 seats at the beginning of 2009 !
in the house the Dems controlled 255 of the 433 seats which is 58% of all seats so YES the democrats DID have a fillibuster proof majority in late 2009 and the better part of 2010 !

Pellucidar

Not one Republican voted for ObamaCare. Not one. It is the albatross around your party’s neck. We were saying it was a train wreck then and it is now. And I might just be insufferable about it.

John D

Smith is DNC troll. I am tired of his lies.

Anthony Clifton

The Dems didn’t need a filibuster proof majority to ruin the economy during the Bush years. Fannie & Freddie was able to corrupt a handful of Republicans in addition to the lock-step Democrats who were on board to extend special rules to allow riskier lending.

The Democrats caused the housing crash and recession. Video of top Democrats defending the risky lending is publicly available.

John D

Smith will never admit that. He is just another DNC troll.

John D

The blame for the housing market rests with Barney Frank, Chis Dodd and their corrupt minions that insisted that banks make bad loans. Bush warned them that there was a serious problem and they refused to do anything.
Sounds to me like you belong to the party of stupid.

Ellen K

So if that’s the case, why did the Congressional committee overseeing Fannie and Freddie refuse to even discuss requests from the Bush White House to tighten the reins on no paper mortgages? Face it, the Democrats under Clinton pushed through measures for what they defined as “underserved communities” to allow for no paper mortgages which ballooned in five to seven years. The understanding was that the homeowners would refinance or be in a better economic position to pay higher payments at that time. Instead braindead homeowners got secondary loans against the same houses and then when the market sank, they cratered. All those shows on flipping houses were get rich quick schemes which too many people believed. Mortgages were easier to get by design so that Democrats could go home and claim they helped the poor climb to middle class status. Now those homes, many of them, are still vacant or selling for half what they sold for ten years ago. What is more, Democrats are talking about another similar scam to push yet another economic bubble.

MR_22

What on earth are you talking about, Bobby? Obama himself keeps telling us we are better off now than we were four years ago. He likes to take the credit for improving the economy. So now you’re saying we’re worse off?

You can’t have it both ways. You libs are totally confused. And angry–against your man Obama, because he failed you, and against the Republicans, because they won’t let Obama destroy our country, so they block everything he tries to do, if they can–God save them! Too bad they couldn’t block ObamaCare before it started, but we’ll take back the Senate this year and repeal it. Then we’ll have to wait another couple of years and take back the Presidency.

We’re getting back our country, slowly, but surely.

Adam Smith

It’s not your country and you don’t have a chance in 2016 with the candidates you have now.

MR_22

Oh, and YES, it is OUR country and WE WANT IT BACK. We will take it back peacefully, if we can.

Anthony Clifton

Hah! Yes. 2016 for the GOP is hopeless.

We’ll just settle for measly control of congress. Then, after 2 years of investigations and forcing Obama to veto or sign GOP bills that are popular with the people, we’ll see how sweet smelling Democrats are in 2016.

It’s worth noting that Hillary’s poll numbers already dropped 5 points along with Obama’s. That was before her campaign scandal broke.

Virginian

GOP signing bills popular with the people?

AHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

(breath)

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

Johnny Yahooo

Your irrelevant pal….just slink away and vanish…but then again…we love your idiotic posts…and we also love to shove it deep up your…….Crimea.

John D

Jeez, what a useful, enlightening comment. Fool.

Anthony Clifton

There are many conservative positions that are popular with the people. Do you deny that?

Common_Sense_Post

We will see. You better hope so. Because her Obama has shown us the tools to use against those we do not like. NSA, IRS? They will be pointed at you then! And you can cry but no one will hear you!

John D

Still in denial?

Ellen K

Funny, I thought it was our country. But then again the way Obama keeps trying to give away various parts of it, maybe it’s not ours anymore. Just all the more reason to fight to get it back.

Furthermore, it was Democrats who destroyed the economy in the first place. They gave their cash cow Fannie & Freddie exceptions that allowed risky lending. That resulted in the housing crash and recession.

Joe C

Well Bobby we know where your head is–how is Barry’s colon? Dems saved which economy? Man you’re smoking some real good stuff!!!!

Bobby Jackson

All anger and no FACTS, Did I hurt yall feelings with some facts. lol. The more you insult me the more you validate my statement. Thanks You

Johnny Yahooo

Nice try ignorant democrat…If your logic was true then why is “red” Texas rolling and blue California sinking? or blue Detroit? or blue Michigan, when it was run into the ground under Jennifer Granholm, or Chicago? or Illinois for that matter? I mean go educate yourself before you show the world how clueless you are.

Bobby Jackson

The poorest states are Republican States. FACT!

Johnny Yahooo

Then why are jobs moving to red states? Why is the south booming in comparison to blue states? Why are congressional seats increasing in red states and decreasing in blue states? I know you probably think your damn smart. But you have not given one once of anything to make your argument. How about this? All liberals are dumb as donuts….FACT! All liberals have no problem sending their kids down a river of debt…FACT!.

Bobby Jackson

Would you care to refute my statement that Republican States are the poorest with any facts or statistics? Or is your final answer “All liberals are dumb as donuts”?

Common_Sense_Post

Simple? You mean simple minded!

You low information Dems show why we have Obama as a leader. You will believe anything your elitist masters demand.

You would believe it if they told you the sky was yellow! Just plain stup!d!

Bobby Jackson

Just because your angry, doesn’t make you right. The fact that you insulted me instead of addressing any of my points indicates defensiveness, which suggest you see some validity in my statement.

Rjschundlr

Bobby Jackson, I can see you have no understanding of economics, the extended unemployment is due directly to the Democrats, the poor schools in the urban areas are directly due to the Democrats, and in Washington DC they are even trying to take aways what hope there was for the poor. Shutting down the Government is not a big issue, hurting the poor in both education and jobs, is a big deal. The Dems are good for big govenment, big banks, and big businesses with government contracts. The Dems are bad news for the poor, the aged, small banks, small business, and the private sector employees, and the unemployed.

Adam Smith

You have no clue about economics. You’re simply spouting talking points. “They’re bad”. If you want to claim an understanding of economics, back it up with causation supported with evidence.

LOTHAR BAIER

FYI ,
The housing collapse was a direct result of policies put in place by DEMOCRATS way before 2006 !

The housing collapse had DEMOCRATS written all over it , but just in case you have amnesia i give you a little refresher :
Some odd years ago the democratic party felt that minorities and low income families were under represented if it came to home ownership so they decided to fix this , first they told fanny mae and freddy mac to lower the credit score requirements for low income buyers and minorities , than they went on to blackmail the big banks like BOFA and CHASE just to name a few , to lower their underwriting standarts and income verfication procedures for those groups or face a “investigation” for racism !
The banks complied but got rid of the “hot ” mortgages as fast as they could !
Then in 2006 congressional republicans tried to launch a investigation into the financial standings of fannie and freddy but the attempts were chocked off by barney frank and other liberals accusing the GOP of trying to dismantle fannie and freddy , well we all know the rest

Insidious Pall

Um, Adam? “Back it up with causation?” What on Earth does that mean? “Causation?” Really?
I happened to have studied economics fairly thoroughly from Marx and Engels to feudal fiefdoms to Adam Smith (rather ironic you take his name, don’t you think?), and it is ostensibly your fellow Dems who have no comprehension of economics. Yours is the party of anti-capitalism; of redistribution and “you didn’t build that.” You can stay stupid but you cannot hold power ad infinitum if you know nothing.

Johnny Yahooo

Show us your evidence that YOU know what YOU are talking about. Right now your nothing but a punch line…

Rjschundlr

There is no room here for the studies, however if you are interested you could read Adam Smith (1776) Wealth of Nations, Milton Friedman, they both are good with the theories, like supply and demand. Increase the cost and the demand goes down. But for studies directly related to any topic of interest read Thomas Sowell’s books. They are full of data, and studies. The un-skill poor are hurt most by any increase in the Min. Wage and so are the aged. The Dems in Congress are trying to send the urban poor in the city back to the failing public school by cutting their school choice funds … that is current news. As for the Big Banks (the too big to fail banks) they are given special consideration that makes them even bigger and small banks are now more at risk. Is “Adam Smith” you real name or is that just web name?

Anthony Clifton

Hah! How did they save the economy? The economy is not in good shape.

Are you referring to their cronyism where they saved unions at the expense of the economy at large? Are you referring to when they sold majority shares of a major US auto company to an Italian company?

You can’t be serious.

John D

Way to go. Double down on dumb.
There is no Republican controlled congress. The Republicans control the House. Don’t you know that the congress is made up of the House and the Senate?
The House has sent ovr 100 bills to the Senate and the corrupt Harry Reid won’t allow them to go to the senate floor for a vote.
You are a real fool.

Mark_Melrose

It’s a good thing you didn’t destroy it. Please don’t ‘save’ it anymore. You’ve killed off people’s hopes. And government may be where the money is going, but mostly it helps a concentrated group of greedy people. Bureaucrats. Green energy. Pals of Obama, like Comcast. Yeah, thanks for ‘saving.’

Ellen K

Saved the economy? Really? Would you care to explain the lowest worker participation rate since the Great Depression? Or maybe you would like to discuss the rapid rise in people enrolled in Medicaid? Maybe instead you would like to discuss how the WH has circumvented rule of law by writing exemptions without due diligence and oversight by Congress? Or let’s go back and discuss any of the following: Fast and Furious, Pigford, NSA surveillance, IRS harassment or Lerner’s taking the Fifth?

Bobby Jackson

Yup, the economy crashed during Bush. Economy was in free fall till Obama and Dems took action. Don’t take my word for it. Look up the Dow and the Un-employment rate when Obama took office, Now look at it now. All this information is Public knowledge, pick any business site or news site. I only care about numbers and Facts not accusations, rumors or feelings

3billy123

Thanks for the laugh.
The rats couldn’t save a rubber duck in a bathtub.

Johnny Yahooo

Dems are dumb but LOVE to tell the world how smart they think they are….They are legends in their own mind..

MR_22

Hmm, Wellstone, I’m PRETTY SURE Demoncrats have been in charge for the past 5+ years. Still blaming Bush, are you?

Steelyal

You can keep your Dr . Your an Obama PimP and you have no clue.

Mark_Melrose

Wellstone – the name of a guy whose funeral was turned into a political event. And they haven’t looked back since.

Anthony Clifton

Hah! You proved mlaws point. Obama has been president for years and you’re still blaming someone else for his failures.

freeinpa

Republicans are responsible for ObamaCare, Executive Orders, regulations, declining disposable income 4 years AFTER the recession ended?

WOW It still stands; the biggest lies liberals tell are the ones they tell themselves!

John D

You remind me of one of my favorite Bible quotes.
“And believing themselves to be wise, they became fools”.

stevewfromford

If the Dems can’t solve the problems (as they obviously have not been able to do) with 8 years control of the Senate, 5+ years controlling the Presidency and two years controlling the House then they never will as they have no good solutions.

Virginian

More of the “personal responsibility” brainwashed talking points regurgitated.

Does it feel good to be a mindless sheep?

Mygoodness

communist party members in the old soviet union had a 100 percent favorable opinion of themselves. Seems like their American cousins, the democrats, are about the same.

Glenn Koons

Yet when polls are done on separate issues, Obama and the lib Dems have out of 10 issues, one issue in which they prevail. Welfare and supposed aid to the so called helpless. That is that. Now internationally Americans see a Quisling-Chamberlain in power and the US power dropping to a 3rd world status.

Ellen K

The answer is branding. The Democrats branded themselves as the hip and cool party. They also managed to frame Republicans with an undeserved level of vile accusations of racism. Branding can only go so far. The shallow end of the population will gravitate toward labels. This can be demonstrated by taste tests on vodka. Grey Goose is a high end brand name and people order it thinking it the best. But in taste tests Grey Goose ranked toward the bottom. Similar taste tests with Starbuck coffee reveal that most serious coffee drinkers don’t like the taste when compared to other brands like Gevalia or Community Coffee. Yet there are those who will cling to Starbucks because of the additional value of brand allure. People who cling to party voting just because of the perception of popularity related to the party are in danger of voting against their own best interests. And that’s what Democrats are counting on when they continuously claim to represent African American interests at a time when at every level from county to state to national, Hispanic interests have trumped those of African Americans, especially those African Americans from middle class families.

Rich-3

Of course the dems succeed there since the MSM plays from the dem deck of cards every day.

Ellen K

I’m not so sure about that. Granted, the key demographic the DNC seeks get more of their information from Stephen Colbert than CNN, but I think at some point fatigue sets in. They were promised many things in 2008 and most of those things have not come to pass. While I don’t see this group drifting into what they perceive as their parent’s political choices, I don’t think they will show up at the midterms no matter how much glamor the DNC tries to inject.

Rich-3

I think what you are describing is called growing up. Once the promises have faded and reality and life set in and you have to pay your bills your view on things change. That is really at the bottom of all this because you can only be fooled so long before the truth arrives. This is no santa claus and there are no free lunches. Sooner or later we all or most of us at least figure that out.

Ellen K

I’m not so sure about that. If you mean the sheer act of getting older-I know some JFK era Democrats who still cling to the party. If you mean growing up as in learning to stand on one’s own two feet, then yes, that’s what it is. And what is more, I think many of the youth vote from 2008 are now facing a much starker reality than they anticipated.

Rich-3

That is exactly my point. The act of growing up and facing the bills changes your view on things. It is easy to be carefree with other people’s cash but at some point it start to become your cash.

Ellen K

You would think so, but I have in laws who REFUSE to listen to anything that disrupts their blind adoration of all things Obama. It is to the point that my brother in law blocked one of his father’s oldest friends-a Silver Star recipient-because the elderly man dared to question Obama’s motives. While I think the younger voters are essentially in play, the older generation of liberals are in such a rut of denial that nothing will sway them. It’s going to be close in November and we need to push issues over pop psychology for all it’s worth.

Rich-3

I have in-laws like that as well. They cry about the taxes and free loaders but can’t see how much it is growing under this guys watch. The one works in health care and cries about all the bs going on at the Dr’s office now because of O-care but yet does not connect the dots. Not a Rush fan and work during the day but I have heard him make the comment about how Obama has played it is the government’s fault on all these things and that Obama is the one that is going to fix the government yet he is the one who created the laws. That is the real disconnect.

Anti-Unamerican

If they would poll after 5pm it would be different. Conveniently they poll when Republicans are at work.

brickman

I’m in my sixties, I have been polled once, so was my wife. Both times after 6pm. BTW, what kind of elitist are you? Lots of people don’t work 9-5. They work the second and third shifts. And weekends. Shouldn’t they count?

Adam Smith

Judging by the comments, most of them are clueless and simply spouting talking points. They actually believe most democrats don’t work because it fits their narrative. Facts are irrelevant. That’s why they were shell shocked when Obama won.

Lillith70

And those who wouldn’t hold their noses and vote for the party platform? And how does voter fraud factor in?

Gl Remote

CBS/NYT poll. Does that give you any pause to reconsider? If not, you might be a liberal.

Lame_Duck_Dems

Corporate/status quo/Lame-stream media/survey 100 people in New York Sh-tty, Pu–ywood, and San Fa-cisco–CR-P POLLS!!
STFU Rothenberg!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDUvqXK4DEM DCinAZ

“The answer is clear in the data: Republican respondents had a much more
negative view of their own party than Democrats had of their party.”

Exactly. So we can stop the nonsense about how damaged the R’s are against the D’s. If the R’s had support from the tea party base, they’d have a higher favorable rating than the democrats but they don’t. And that’s all it is…

IA_Adam

True, and colon cancer has higher survivability than liver cancer. Good for you democrats!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PerryLogan Perry Logan

This is easy to explain: America is a progressive country. Conservatives don’t want to believe this, but it’s easy to prove.

Example: America has Social Security–a progressive law. Not only that–it’s wildly popular. This would not be the case if America were a conservative country.

The same applies to other popular, liberal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. A nation of conservatives would probably not even have such programs–and if they did, the programs would not be popular, as they most certainly are.

On poll after poll, Americans reveal themselves as liberal. The polls vary with the tides of history, and there are leftward and rightward swings, to be sure.

But the overall pattern is clear. Most Americans consider themselves environmentalists. Most Americans want more gun control. Most Americans think it is the role of government to help the poor. Most Americans want government to do more and are willing to pay higher taxes to support it. Most Americans want sex education, higher taxes on the rich, more abortion rights, fewer foreign interventions, a stronger safety net, etc., etc.

Steve D’Agostino

Until we get “Progressive” legislation. Then there’s a wipeout during the midterms. Happens almost every time. Because you’re wrong.

B Martin

Perhaps you are right. However, this journey to the left will have unintended effects and a tipping point is a very real probability. It may not happen this decade, it may not happen to this generation,…but when it does happen, it will be very ugly and very unfortunate because it is preventable.

MildlyAmused

Basically what you are saying is that many people like to get free stuff paid for by others. And water is wet. So what else is new?

The liberal Democrats have worked for over 70 years to enslave Americans on their plantation of permanent victimhood and entitlement in exchange for votes. I am reminded of the welfare mom who famously stated, when faced with a lack of food for 6 children (by multiple fathers, none of which was present in the children’s lives) “Who is going to pay for these children? Someone has to pay for them!” This lady is the PERFECT Democrat because she truly believes that someone else should pay for the children resulting for her foolish and irresponsible choices.

Jerald

Actually, it is easy to explain. Republicans are more critical of their own party while democrats are not and are more partisan.

CC

Conservatives are naturally skeptical of politicians generally. This will always lead them to not trust either party and it shows up in the approval ratings of the parties, so Republicans will almost always poll worse than Democrats. During election day though, Republicans generally do better than polled because conservatives will still hold their noses and vote for them at the end of the day. The question is if the Republican candidate can get enough nose holders to come out. Romney couldn’t do it, Bush did.
People need to talk to their conservative friends more often to understand how they think because approval polls of parties and congress don’t tell the real story.
I have noticed when talking to my liberal friends that they are willing to wave off every possible issue of their candidate regarding ethics, abuses, and corruptions. To them it is all about the party. Why wouldn’t the Democrats poll better?

Ihaveaclue Doyou

Simple…the DNC lies there $sses off, believed by a compliant base, unchallenged by a complicit media, and apologies,, corrections, and retractions are buried or not covered at all.

sharpeshooter2

The Corporate media has been ‘gamed’ by the right wing to give each side a “fair and balanced” approach. So conservative Ted Cruz showboats for a few hours, reading Green Eggs and Ham, and that event is covered more than the Democrats pulling an all-nighter yesterday to raise awareness on what COULD very well be the defining human crisis of the 21st century. False equivalency = conservative bias.

GimmeMyFreeStoff

Santa Claus is a popular figure…….his accountant? Not so much.

Craig S. Maxwell

Because Americans have turned into a brain-dead herd.

fedupMan

Noooo its the FREE GOVT stuff/$ the D’s hand out like eye candy.
R’s preach hard work and sweat will be good for you while the D’s are OPENLY telling people they don’t have to work because you will have more time to do what you like and still have Medical care. How you pay for your house and everything else is not mentioned. FREE STUFF always wins.

Virginian

Do you seriously believe this?

fedupMan

I DO. I live next to a very big city run by D’s 50+ years. The D’s have run the entire state with an IRON fist. What D’s want they GET. 3 counties in the state vote D and the other 98 vote R. But the D#’s are in the big city. The D’s control 99 % of all state power. The D’s treat the other 98 counties as a piggy bank to raid to give the big city everything. FREE stuff buys votes everywhere in the nation. The entitlement mentality in my county is legion and the fraud is HUGE. Property taxes are killing the normal people. I ain’t got no FAT pension. I pay $4,000 a year for a 1150 sq foot house. Can’t move b/c I can’t sell it. The neighborhood I live in for 29 year, has lets say changed. Swat teams have been across the street from me. At election time if you have the wrong bumper sticker on your car BAD things happen to the car. We have been told by friends we just don’t know how to lie to get more goodies from govt. That did happen believe it or not.

Enzyte Bob

I’ve been saying the same thing for months. Stu is the first one who has written about it. At the end of the day, Most of this 29 % is still going to vote Republican but they are tired of holding their noses and having to vote for Bushes, McCains or Romneys.

(I genuinely liked Romney, though. He would have been one of the most accomplished people ever to be president.)

JadedFan

The republican party is the only party currently having a debate about the future of their party. Which is natural and has loads of historical precedence when a party loses the presidency.

The democrats had exactly the same internal debate a decade ago, with the Howard Dean folks waging war on the so-called ‘main stream democrats’, which in the end led to fresh ideas and the presidency but was a real war for a time that the presidential win has brought back down to a simmer.

But watch what happens when the democrats get shellacked in 2014, or even more if they lose in 2016. And do not count that out, with Obamacare dribbling out Obama may screw Hillary again as the bad news hits right when she is running, and a party winning a third term is a pretty rare thing. Most times a party gets two terms and then the country tires of them and they give the other guys a chance. You see signs of it already.

So while half the republican party is at war with the other half right now, historically that means very little when it comes election time, and usually is the precursor to good things for a party whose wins are around the corner as the insurgents mature and get absorbed with their ideas into the so-called main stream party. You see it now. How many Aikens are there this election cycle?

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

Even though there is some wishful thinking in the third paragraph, this analysis is rather sane compared to the right-wing nonsense in the other posts.

Major Woody

Party on mainstream media; Goebbels would be proud. Oh how about that war on women. The latest talking point has Nancy Pelosi saying that Republicans want children to starve. Sophistry is your sales tool. Sad day that in a lot of cases it works.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

Republicans are the propaganda con artists; Goebbels would be proud of them!

Major Woody

Is that all you got? Does you keep that plan if you like it, period mean anything to you? Hook line and sinker. Again proving my point, very sad.

B Martin

In short, the American public has embraced the features of crony capitalism, pockets of fascism and lots of socialism. Freedoms and liberties are being traded to get “stuff.” ….and because the Democrats are better at giving more “stuff” out than Republicans, they will be held in higher regard. The people that are promoting more self reliance and less government involvement are in the minority and will find their brand of politics excoriated by most of the media and the larger percentage of the American population. …I suppose this can go on for a while,… but it sounds to me like a “Greek” Tragedy. I certainly can’t stop what we are headed for, …perhaps I’ll just forget all this,…..self supporting nonsense,…and just go on the dole. After all, why should I be the one to break up the party!!!

brickman

It could also mean that more Republicans will stay home.

Uncle Rufus

LOL, yeah, right. Won’t they be surprised this coming November when the Demonrats lose the Senate. Obamacare is a millstone around their necks and they’re getting tossed overboard. Enjoy your swim, Dems, you deserve it.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

Wishful thinking, isn’t? Have you forgotten Romney landslide?

Truth Gun

Wrong. Republicans have fresh ideas. Revamping the tax code amongst others. The Dems are stagnating in a filth pool of their own devise.

There is a man who’s ideas are based in history while being fresh at the same time. One man looks like make this country operate at a much MUCH higher capacity than the current crop of losers.

Cue Rocky music..

Guest

There are two reasons why the GOP has a terrible brand name. First, John McCain let Barack Obama blame Bush and by extension the GOP for the economic calamity that Obama and the fringe, left wing Democrats inflicted on America when they took control of Congress in January of 2007 and declared Bush irrelevant, and for which the GOP has never defended itself. The GOP should remember that those who are blamed for the past are doomed to not be trusted with the future.
Second, single women believe that the GOP wages war on them over reproductive rights while fully supporting the Democrat’s war on all Americans over their entire health care rights through Obamacare. One is not sure if the feminists ever stopped to consider that a federal government that is big enough to mandate free contraception is big enough to mandate the use of said contraception. Feminists gave away all of their health care rights to daddy big government, yet accuse the GOP of wanting to take away from them what they have already given away. Go figure.

Chris

The November “poll” will tell a much different story than this “journalist” methinks.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

That would be bad news for the republicans because this journalist is a GOP supporter.

01_Explorer_01

Stu, You Progressive a….whole

Aslaug Lodbrok

I think every analysis I have seen completely misses the real truth about why the GOP has bad numbers. I would be one of those people to give the R congress an F. It is not because I am vulnerable to voting leftist. It is not because I believe the hoax that republicans shut down the government (I didn’t care at all except for what the Oby did to veterans). It is not because I want them to work “across the aisle”. It is not because the tea-party are big ole meanies to the establishment. It is not because I consider them a do-nothing congress (they’ve done too much leftist legislating). I am not a market opportunity for democrats.

It is because they have sold out to leftism. It is because the leadership is lazy and can’t mount an explanation for anything at all. It is because they seem to not know that there are more than 3 networks and just the NY Times. They don’t seem to know that algore invented the interwebz. They are completely clueless and have no idea who their constituents are or what they want from them. They seem to have no idea who the democrats are or what they want. I give them an F for all of that.

Word I would like to ban – Branding.

UbEjytw864

If the Republicans win the victory they are hoping for in 2014 they will be emboldened to continue to threaten shut down the government and default on the national debt to force President Obama and congressional Democrats to repeal the ACA and make the cuts Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that the Republicans want to give more tax cuts to the richest 1% and then forget about health care and the deficit.

WBC

You forgot to mention killing all the kittens and puppies in the world and eating beef and wearing fur. Not coincidentally, you also know nothing about punctuation. Public school, right?

MildlyAmused

DNC talking points alert. Really, is ANYONE stupid enough to believe ANY of these lies and distortions. YOU are a perfect example of the ignorant and gullible victim that votes reliably for more taxes on everyone else. Pathetic.

The problem for the Republicans is that in spite of attempts to broaden their base the critical support for Republicans is still older voters in Red States many of whom receive Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. Republicans know this and that is why, rather than propose cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid Republicans have threatened to shut down the government and default on the national debt so that they can force President Obama and congressional Democrats to propose the cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security that they want, but for political reasons are afraid to propose.

The reason that many people support the Democratic Party is the same reason that addicts support their pushers. Convince enough people that they are permanent and helpless victims whose only hope is womb to tomb freebies and slavery on the Democratic Party plantation in exchange for votes. Personal responsibility? Accountability? You never have to worry about these when you are a Democrat because anything bad that happens to you is someone else’s fault. Have 7 kids with 5 different and absent fathers out of wedlock? Don’t worry. Your benevolent liberal masters will simply raise taxes on the “evil” others so long as you keep voting “D.”

Aslaug Lodbrok

Analysts don’t understand independents either. Karl Rove would tell you that Independents are the key to winning. He seems to think Independents only care about being polite. They make sure the candidate says the leftist opponent is a really nice guy who is just in over their head (give me a break. Oby knows exactly what he is doing and has been wildly successful). Never say bad things. Never say anything negative about your opponent. If you lose, you can always pat yourself on the back about how polite you were in losing.

When you look at issues, independents tend to side with conservatives most of the time. I know lots of conservatives who decided to register as independent because they get so sick of those stupid flyers and robocalls. Yet, on issue after issue, Independents agree with conservatives. The vast majority of Americans are right wing, not left wing.

The consultants are spectacularly wrong as evidenced by their collective record of failure. Their only hope is to win the hearts and minds of their base. Cuz right now, we wish to break up with them because they are spineless beta males.

Strategerist

It’s simple: the Dems smear machine is unafraid to call the GOP racists, bigots, homophobes, cruel, evil, and every other name in the book, rather than debate the facts.
The GOP, however, is scared to death to make accusations or challenges of incompetence or lying, for fear of feeding into those labels.
Case in point: Just look at the latest House Cmte meeting wherein Lois Lerner once again hid behind the 5th amendment. Rep Cummings staged some phony yelling match after Issa had adjourned the mtg, and the attack dogs in the Dem party and the MSM came running to declare Issa racist, rude and called for him to be removed. Luckily, he’s one of the few who is unafraid.

Myron B. Pitts

There are a lot of homophobes, bigots, racists and xenophobes in the GOP. The Democrats’ charges would not be able to stick if there was not a shred of truth to them. That’s not the entirety of the Republican Party but a good percentage.

Strategerist

No, Dems are just more consistent and vociferous about it. Do you really believe those biases don’t also exist in the Dem party? That’s like telling A-Jad that Iran has no gays.
Take a look outside the Cave every now and again…just to get a tiny does of reality. It helps, it really does.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

There are no smears; they are all proven facts.

Strategerist

Boy, you got me on that one. Clearly you are 100% correct…as usual I’m certain. I stand corrected. You must be in Mensa to have come up with that line. Thanks for setting me straight, Mr. PhD of comebacks.

WBC

How would you expect a NBC/NYSlimes poll to turn out?

Lamb Chop

Noo Yawkers would not be able to turn a light switch on and off without step by-step instructions from the Noo Yawk Times. Saving that, they would call in an electrician.

The Right Fight

Stu nailed that analysis … and the potential consequences for 2014 are HUGE.

The election results will be about voter turn-out … which historically, in midterm elections, favor the GOP over the DEMs and disfavor the President’s party over the other party.

Both factors favor the GOP in 2014 … advantage GOP in turnout.

And the independents are effectively neutral this year.

That’s all good news for the GOP.

kurtmudgeon

The way Democrats are portrayed (good) and Republicans (evil) or alternately Democrats (moderate) and Republicans (extreme) it’s a miracle the Republicans get any support. But miracles do happen.

cleo48

The See BS News/NY Times Poll. Wow. THAT cesspool discharge of an unbiased sampling of American sentiment can’t possibly be wrong.

MR_22

What this poll REALLY means is that many people believe what they hear in the Democrat-leaning liberal media and just parrot what they hear to somebody who asks. It doesn’t mean much more than that.

I would like to thank the 4th estate that no longer investigates all politicians but acts more like the media arm of the DNC.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

When the republicans complain about media, I immediately know that media is doing a swell job by not succumbing to the right wing propaganda, deceit, and lies. Even though Ryan’s convention speech was fully packed with lies, Faux News and other propaganda arms of the republican party did not call him out on anything. If you are talking about media bias, it is right there in the right-wing media! Republicans try to control media through either bribery or bullying. In the last elections, I don’t whether it is bribery or bullying, Gallup started coming out with results conducive to Republican propaganda, and lost all its credibility. They were trying to bully Nate Silver also, but he didn’t budge, and hence maintained his reputation as the most reliable polling analyst.

BarryBarry

Incumbents, take heed.

FredFilopek

Why would any clear thinking American vote for these republicans in congress? What have they done for the poor and middle class? Please be specific.

porkypig

Your idea that government is supposed to do things for different sectors of our society is where you lose Republicans. You think the government is supposed to do things for the poor, do things for gays, do things for blacks, do things for single mothers. When you do things for all these groups you inevitably need money, because that’s really the only thing any of them wants, they wouldn’t vote for Democrats at all if there wasn’t a check in it for them. So the Democrats looks to take the money from someone who has it and then give it one of your special groups in exchange for their vote. That’s all Democrats do in a nutshell. That’s why all clear thinking Americans vote for Republicans.

FredFilopek

What have the republicans done to help these groups ? Can you be specific.

durhonka

The federal government issues thousands and thousands of pages of vague, poorly written, and contradictory regulations every month. The Democrats support more regulations, more controls, more rules. The Republicans usually oppose it. THAT is what the GOP does to help EVERY group in this country.
The best thing for everyone is if the government keeps its hands off the economy. Throughout history, the countries with teh freest economies have been the wealthiest. Again, supporting free markets is what the GOP does for every group.
If it weren’t for the GOP, we’d have already gone down the Venezuela/Cuba/North Korea rabbit hole. Without the GOP, the government looting would get out of control real fast.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

Though republicans overtly support free markets, they are covertly for crony/vulture capitalism. While talking loud about free markets, Reagan nipped in the bud the research on renewable sources of energy and let the oil barons monopolize the energy industry. It is Walmart style free enterprise system where new (local in case of Walmart) competition is killed by price matching for some time.

FredFilopek

I will type slowly. Companies are making record yet are not hiring .What is your solution? Are you concerned that the house tried to repeal Obamacare for the fifty first time today wasting their time and your tax money .

durhonka

Companies are not hiring because the government has made it too expensive to hire new employees. Obamacare requires employers to spend thousands of dollars a year per-employee for health insurance. And the fact that the big big brains in the Democratic Party keep delaying the employer mandate only makes the situation worse because of the uncertainty it creates about future costs. Repealing Obamacare will reduce the cost of hiring more employees, which means businesses will start investing their money in hiring. When prices of a resource go up, people buy less of it. It’s kindergarden economics. Obamacare can be repealed (and will be), but you’ll never repeal the law of supply and demand (which is what the Democrats have been trying to do for the last 70 years).

FredFilopek

Why would they hire when they have technology to replace the workers?

FredFilopek

Let see porky. The private sector is making record profits but is not hiring and people are hurting. Your solution is to cut food stamps for the poor, eliminate unemployment benefits for the long term unemployed and refuse to raise the minimum wage even most Americans are for it. Any compassion?

porkypig

I do have compassion. I believe the programs you mention do more harm than good for the poor. Republicans support a safety net, to help people get back on their feet when they stumble in life. Mainly, Republicans are supposed to work to make it easier for the wheels of commerce to turn so that everyone can work and achieve their financial goals and they are supposed to protect us and our property. The Republicans have a lot of work to do in returning to these principles, they are not perfect but better than the alternative.

FredFilopek

Hard to prove when they cut back on food stamp programs. And won’t raise the minimum wage.

porkypig

These two articles show how the Democrats are right there cutting food stamps also, then always trying to turn the political blame on the Republicans. You should worry about your own party, they took $800 billion from Medicare to pay for Obamacare. Republicans just raised the minimum wage when Bush was in office in 2007, so I don’t know what you are talking about there.

The question that should be asked of these Republicans is how many disapprove, because they think the party is too liberal and how many disapprove because they think the party is too conservative. That would be interesting and would tell you, which way the party is likely to move, at least in primaries. Of course, you have to take into consideration how that would affect independents, but per above that would not affect primaries. This would also give you some sense of whether the Republicans will select more Todd Akins as their Senate candidates. And thus give you some sense how the 2014 elections are going to break. What I would say is that polarization has to be bad news for Blue State Democrats like Mary Landrieu, etc.

Txvet

Maybe the 10 point difference the author is so puzzled about comes from WHO did the polling……CBS and NYT, both bastions of unbiased thinking.

Myron B. Pitts

Yep, better to go by those “unskewed polls” that predicted a “Romney landslide.” They’ll serve you up what you want to hear.

Arch002

It’s to be expected.

Thanks to the wholesale takeover of the news media and entertainment industry by the left, the country is shifting leftward. The Dems embrace the shift, moving into socialist territory.

The Republican establishment is putting up less and less resistance because they want to keep their jobs. It’s easier and safer to vote with the herd than to stand up for principle.

The upshot: Republicans are less and less impressed with their party leadership. If you look at the numbers, you’ll find that most Dems who don’t approve of their party are mad because the Dems aren’t moving to the left quickly enough to suit them.

Conservatives don’t really have a party any more.

Bondosan

After eight years of Hillary Clinton and another eight of Tim Kaine, maybe the Republican Party will rejoin the mainstream and be entrusted with the presidency once again.

David

There would be no America left.

Myron B. Pitts

I know many Democrats who said the same thing about Bush. But lo and behold, there is still an America.

David

Democrats are idiots so anything they say is wrong.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

Why? It survived 8 years of Reagan and eight years of Bush!

Myron B. Pitts

They’ll be gone or unrecognizably changed by then.

BestandBrightest

This is why I always laugh at the Huntsmans of the world. No Democrats are going to vote for them yet they love to trash their own base. Good luck fighting over that wishy-washy 10% of the electorate

David

Democrats still lead because America is full of freeloading morons.

Myron B. Pitts

Can’t imagine why people don’t like conservatives.

David

Because Republicans want to make them actually work for the first time in their lives.

TwentyFirstCenturyAmerican

All those freeloading morons are apparently in red states because at least 9 out 10 bottom most states with respect to poverty, education, and health insurance are red states. These red states take more money than they chip in from the federal pool in conformance with the Marxist philosophy- Work according to your capability and take according to your need.

David

Those red states are overrun with illegal immigrants because Obama won’t enforce the laws. Nice try though.

Stuart Mackleby

TWO things-

1. The comment section is filled with the exact outcome the journalist wanted to unfold. Let’s not look at recent poll numbers showing Obama’s approval is in the toilet. The Democrats aren’t going to successfully defend 21 senate seats, and 57% of the country hates Obamacare…. let’s talk about the Republican brand being 10 points behind the Democrats. Really?

and secondly… the poll came from CBS. And their lead investigative reporter just resigned… and why?

It certainly seems counter-intuitive to suggest anything about Dems having good marks beneath a picture of Pelosi.

MR_22

I had to hurry and pan down past that picture to be able to read the news story. I almost had to rush off to the bathroom to vomit, but I got past it in time.

cleo48

I have it on good authority that both Feinstein and Pelosi had their respective faces processed in the same leather tannery.

MR_22

Two birds of a leather, er, feather.

Charles Sutter

Stu you have to let the legacy of the ancestors rest. They had their mistaken idea that they had to vote for the Democrats for many reasons, religion being one. You have the benefit of looking back on history and the failures of Liberalism/Socialism. You hurt yourself, your family and your country to honor the ancestors and vote for the Democrat Liberal no matter how wrong they are time and time again.

gommygoomy

Is there ONE JEW, in this Country, that DOESN’T have his head up his @ss?

Myron B. Pitts

It’s very easy. People don’t like the Democrats b/c they won’t stand up for things. People don’t like the Republicans b/c they don’t like what they stand for.

The republicans have less popularity than the democrats by 10 points even though the liberal/progressive media,MSM, is always distorting, denying, deflecting or not reporting what the republicans are saying. I’m surprised the difference isn’t greater. The liberal/progressive media controls the narrative in this country.

Steelyal

Just remember Liberal /Progs lie and lie and lie and lie. This article is extreme BS.

jjwestP07

The party has let them down so many times . They want a party that will fight for them and stand up to the progressives,” No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong.” – Winston Churchill

Bo Honk

The media. Period.

http://www.runawaydaily.com/ Floyd Earl Smith

I think you missed a big point for analysis here: Some independents are reliably Republican, and some (fewer, I’ve read) are reliably Democratic. How do these subgroups, and the more completely independent people in the middle, line up on this issue?

chevron1144

When it comes to voting, which is the only poll that really matters, the Republicans who aren’t happy with their own party aren’t going to go out and vote for Democrats. In this upcoming November election, the enthusiasm level on the part of Republicans dwarfs the enthusiasm of Democrats.

rene591

well since this country is now officially non interventionist I think the ruling class is going to be in for some really big surprises. could not happen to a nicer bunch of out of touch plutocrats

AuldGuy

uh, ’cause in every poll, democrats are oversampled… ’cause the media covers their @sses and lies to the people because they have zero professional integrity…’cause the average millennial, educated in public schools has been brainwashed by a bunch of union-troll members of the teacher’s union… let me count the ways!

conservativechick

This is an easy one – the media.

While watching a biography of Putin recently, a Russian man said of the Russian media – “When Putin comes on the news, you know it will be good news – never any bad news about Putin.”
Our media is no different.

partyboss

In a country in which reporters critical of Putin have a bad habit of being murdered, is it any wonder.

Therod

Not in Floridas 13th District tonight. Alex Sink got her clock CLEANED by David Jolly by almost 4,000 votes!! Not to mention EVERY poll is oversampled with Dems. I’ve yet to see one with a Republican oversampling.

If I were incumbent Dems tonight, I’d be afraid…VERY AFRAID!

Mark_Melrose

Why DC insiders always give the better nod to the grow government crowd….

Richard McCargar

The politics of envy and promises of government largesse are easy to sell.

No drama no more

I just figured that it was because the media is essentially the propaganda wing of the Democratic party and never, ever, ever miss the chance to point out flaws in any Republican while failing to cover or spin appropriately stories that were considered less than glowing of the Dems and the Administration.

so what happened today, Stu?? Swing district in Florida that went twice to Obama and Democrats outspent Republicans on TV ads 4 to 1…kinda screws up your analysis..You must feel a little silly..

jmatt55

Remember, Big Government Republican Establishment: You can’t win without us. And I’ll note that the Libertarian took 5% in FL today.

Get with the program: Small government or lose. Pick one.

austinwoman

They have the fake Indian blond bimbo.

MR_22

Haha, true that.

http://henrymiller.me/ Henry Miller

I haven’t voted “for” a Republican in many years. All I ever do is vote against Democrats. Sometimes that has the unfortunate side-effect of being recorded as a vote for a Republican.

Lafango

Yes Stu,

Florida had special election today.

Guess who won!
Now go back to paddling your worthless poll.

BigInMemphis

These polls do not reflect the reality of this country but rather the confusion that exists with the low-info liberal voter. These are people who support the president because he knows Beyonce’ and has hip parties. This ilk, and there are a lot of them have no concept of economics, the problems with unions and Wallstreet banks nor do these people have any idea what constitutes the foundation of the greatest economic success story in the history of man. No, the supporters live in a selfish bubble and are unable to connect the problems of our country with the corrupt and incompetent progressive orthodoxy that has metastasized in our federal government.

partyboss

Spot on.

brock2118

Garbage in garbage out. But here’s an interesting one I heard on NPR tonight, “polls of Palestinians show a majority would approve of the existence of an Israeli state!” When the 25% non-adherents to this view show up with their AK47s and RPGs I think the “majority” will leap into their houses once the ammo flies.

bflat879

I would love to see the polling if Democrats had the same press as Republicans. Think about this, everyone agrees Barack Obama has a real sycophant press corps following him around yet look at his poll numbers. Can you imagine what his poll numbers would be like if the press corps treated him like they did George Bush? Can you imagine what the Democrats numbers would be like if the press reported on them like they do Republicans?

Republican voters don’t like the way Republicans are governing but they hate the way Democrats govern. Also, one of the reasons Republicans are terrible at governing, especially only having the House, is the press. Think about what happened to Paul Ryan after he brought out his budget. The Democrats put out an ad showing him pushing granny off the cliff. The press never went after the Democrats for that ad or asked them to disown it, had it been a Republican ad, the questions would have been relentless.

Mind you, I’m not crying about this, it’s just a fact of life and, until the Republican party learns to handle the press like the Democrats handle Fox News, they’re going to be in this position. Iwouldn’t send one Republican representative on CBS, NBC, or CNN. Let them explain why there’s no Republican there. I’d also never give up the chance to call them on their bias and force them to deal with it. That’s just me.

partyboss

Republicans have a dimmer view of their party because too many GOP pols are Rinos. Democrats are much more supportive of their party because their party is doing such a splendid job of socializing the economy and strong arming the Constitution.

Your Government Thinking Buddy

Well duh. Democrats are the bread and circuses Party.

Melissa Montana

I think we can all agree that Paul Krugman’s primitive superstitions are dangerously delusional.

Ocean Sprayz

For a brief introduction to the primitive superstitions of the ideology of socialism, I generally recommend Igor Shafarevich’s brilliant essay Socialism in Our Past and Future.

Warren Dew

I see Rothenberg has figured out the cause of the higher Republican disapproval ratings. Now if the Republican leadership would just figure it out, too.

Darth_Inedible

Whatever the GOP does it must not listen to it’s base. Ideally it should stab it’s base in the back immediately following the midterms by passing amnesty. That’s the only moderate, sane course of action.

Rjschundlr

Amnesty you mean “Open Borders” ? Currently Obama is returning a lot to the other-side of the border … What we need is a worker program, where non-citizens can come to work here for a limited time, and then return to their native country. For those who want to become citizens, then they have to leave the country and apply for a visa like any other person that want to come here to stay. We gave “Amnesty” years ago and it did no work.

Florida101

The MEDIA Lies… and only supports DEMOCRAT position… so all your polls are rigged to support your democrat personal choice. THE REAL man on the street that is a THINKING MAN… will NEVER vote for another democrat.

We the people want THE BICKERIG TO STOP…. and someone to LEAD.
At least Republicans are born LEADERS…. I don’t care do did it…. JUST FIT IT!….. We are weary of the political BS. DO YOUR JOB….

TruSkeptik

There is no mystery here at all. The Republicans promise that you might succeed if you work hard and have a little luck. The Democrats promise that success is irrelevant since it only falls to a very few, and that the Government is here to make sure you have everything you need. The difference is something called truth and values. What the Democrats do not say is that the gravy train cannot and will not run forever. By a 10% plurality, the morons outnumber the thinking class. There is no mystery here at all. None.

I don’t trust polls. The can be skewed by several factors. The population of the poll. The wording of the questions and who is conducting the poll and what is their agenda.

Rjschundlr

Very True! Like the question: “Is the country going in the correct direction?” The real question should be: ” Is the country going too much to the RIGHT, or too much to the LEFT?”

ONOBONGO

Keep living in your own fantasyland democrats. Nov will be here soon and GOP will straighten you out allright!

Mark_Melrose

Just heard Clinton, the Attacker of Women, campaigned in KY. Also the same district where the GOP just won in FL. Good. Clinton and Obama are great reminders of why people should get out and vote.

http://marketsharescorp.com/ Nick10

GOPS & Dems. What was the margin of error?

mabramso

This is a very interesting poll result. It also helps explain the other meaningless poll number — why the US Congress has the lowest approval rating in history. The Dems that are polled hate the GOP House, and the Republicans polled hate the Dem-controlled Senate — so together they all hate Congress. If the GOP flips the Senate in November (or alternatively, if the Dems flip the House), I would wager that the first poll taken after the new Congress convenes shows a 30-point jump in their approval rating.

Andre Leonard

“Everyone knows that the Republican Party’s brand stinks, and while the Democratic brand is still mediocre, it’s measurably better than the GOP”

Isn’t it about time we stop this game over banter over who’s the worst and allow something other than the failed two party monopoly? Are we that stuck in a mind warp?

Libertarian, Constitution and Independent

hora

Who idiot and anti patriotic support Dems today? and 40% of approve? give me a break, if have 25 to 30% are so much, Dems don’t doing nothing right, and majority of voter won change, change who only be will come with Dems out power. What idiot can accept criminals KKK in a power?Senior are against Dems, many black and Latino, Dems loose support, with all real criminals Mexican free for commit any crime won and ebola? Dems can dream, but a reality are only one, Senate and Congress will loose a majority, in another word, yes voter won some Party in all branch, next years Nobuma be will impeach and 2016 GOP get a control again, voter have enough with Dems, who use money and power from White House for confuse a voter, but a voter are not confuse real, know what real won, and won see Dems dead walking, plus prosecute a lot od Dems and jail.

hora

Many writing a report with no real view of what happening. No one can’t denied a crime rise to high with Dems in power, but not because are no my Party, where I live has crimes like another City, but with Dem a crime go to high and are no safe any where, reason, here Dems use a COP for make money for a City, but not for patrol and fight crimes, and this is a reality, plus how a Governor of California was said welcome to all criminals illegals but Mexican in especial and support and protect a Mexican drug cartel, sure will denied, but doing, another reason for crime are Dems corrupt all laws enforcement. Now this guy who writ a report must NOT run for any public office, nor ever. Last time when here a crime go up was with Clinton in power. Who denied see a case Chicago (a most safe City in all USA).What Dems believe are garbage and all wrong, nothing doing right and if minority must need cease of exist, plus are enough evidences dems use illegal or criminals activities all around. What show a poll all is not real true, 70% of voter are against Nobuma and Dems.
Republican+ are full responsible with common sense and much honest.
Demrats= are equal to corruption, crime, chaos, no any common sense and decency and enemy of all American.